


Coming Clean

by WhatsYourNameMan



Series: It’s not Sunset Cis either [10]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alex is really good at darts, Coming Out, Gen, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Julie is a really good sister, Mostly Fluff, None of the Phantoms are cis and I think that’s beautiful, Post-Canon, Ray is a really good dad, Technically a song fic I guess, Trans Alex Mercer, Trans Character, Trans Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Trans Reggie Peters, a little bit of hurt/comfort, implied/referenced bad parenting, mentions of sickness, vague mentions of periods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:28:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28235424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatsYourNameMan/pseuds/WhatsYourNameMan
Summary: Luke and Reggie decide to come out to Ray.Rated T for language
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Ray Molina & Reggie Peters & Luke Patterson & Alex Mercer & Julie Molina
Series: It’s not Sunset Cis either [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022667
Comments: 22
Kudos: 236





	1. I’ve Got Secrets I Don’t Know if I Can Tell You

**Author's Note:**

> This one takes place somewhere in between Not a Bad Eternity and Punks Don’t Dance
> 
> As a trans guy I really hate reading or writing period fics so I tried to keep mentions of it as vague as possible, but I do love the idea of Ray not understanding why Reggie gets so sick roughly once a month and worrying he’s not doing enough to help his son. 
> 
> Title, chapter names, and lyrics from “Coming Clean” by Ezra Furman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie is sick, and Ray’s reaction gets Luke thinking that maybe it’s time Ray knew they’re trans.

_I’ve got secrets I don’t know if I can tell you  
I’ve got things to show that no one’s ever seen  
I’ve got habits that are hard to break  
I swear each morning when I wake  
Today’s the day I’m coming clean._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Ray Molina is a perceptive man. Sure, he had missed the fact that there were three teenage ghosts living in his garage for months, but no reasonable person would have guessed that’s why Julie was acting so weird. The important part was that he noticed she was acting more secretive, but he trusted her to come to him when he was ready. 

She did come to him, and now Ray has three more wonderful children in his life. He was protective of the boys from the beginning. When Julie introduced them, Ray noticed the way Reggie hunched in on himself and avoided eye contact; the way Alex hid his shaking hands in his pockets; the way Luke moved in front of them, his eyes sending a silent challenge to Ray. Clearly, these boys needed an adult they could trust. He decided to be that adult. 

As he got to know the boys, his care for them only grew deeper, until he started considering them his sons. He’ll never admit it, but he’s eagerly awaiting the day one of them calls him Dad. He knows they’ve learned to trust him, evidenced by the way Reggie comes to talk his ear off daily. But there’s a lot he doesn’t know about them, and it feels like there’s something big they’re keeping from him. He doesn’t know if it’s the same thing for all three, but he knows that Alex and Reggie tense when he touches their shoulders or rubs their backs while hugging them. He knows Luke still won’t let him look in his songbook, and that he shuts down any conversation, however lighthearted, about “My Name Is Luke” whenever Ray’s around. He knows that every single time he walks into the garage, if Alex’s not already wearing his favorite pink hoodie, he scrambles to put it on. He knows there’s been a couple days over the past few months when Reggie’s been really sick (he still doesn’t know how ghosts can get sick), but none of them will let Ray into the garage to help.

Ray doesn’t push, though. Instead, he changes the behaviors that seem to bother them and trusts that they’ll come to him when they’re ready. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“How’re you doing, buddy?” Luke asks, digging through the pile of blankets on the couch to find Reggie’s face buried beneath them. 

“Pain,” Reggie grumbles. 

Alex, who’s been designated as Reggie’s pillow, puts a hand on Reggie’s arm, or the nearest estimation of it. He shoots Luke a look that clearly says _This sucks_ , and Luke has to agree. It’s not fair Reggie still has to go through this, long after the necessary organs stopped functioning. “You want to watch the next one?” Alex asks, and Reggie nods. 

“I got it,” Julie says. She jumps off the chair and takes _A New Hope_ out of the DVD player, replacing it with _Empire Strikes Back_. 

“Is the pad warm enough?” Luke asks. 

“S’fine.” 

“You don’t have to play the tough guy,” Luke sighs. “I can heat it up for you again.” 

Reggie doesn’t respond, but after a few moments the heating pad Julie was kind enough to let him borrow appears from under the blankets. 

Luke smirks. “Be right back.” He grabs the pad and stands to poof out. 

“Luke,” Alex says before he can go, “bring more chocolate.” 

Reggie makes a small noise of agreement.

“You got it, boss,” Luke winks.

“I thought I was the boss,” Julie argues, but Luke’s already gone. 

“You are the boss,” Reggie croaks. 

“That’s why you’re my favorite,” Julie says, and Alex flips her off. She chooses to ignore him and settles back into her seat as the opening credits of _Star Wars_ scroll through the screen. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Luke poofs into the kitchen, his mind so singularly focused on his task that he doesn’t even notice Ray sitting at the counter on his laptop. 

“How’s Reggie?” Ray asks, and Luke startles so badly he drops the heating pad. 

He bends over to pick it up, a little embarrassed. “He’s doing okay. It’s a rough one today.” He places the pad in the microwave and sets it to three minutes.

“Can I ask what’s wrong?” Ray asks, a little tentative. “You don’t have to answer if Reg doesn’t want you to, but it seems like this happens often.”

“Um, I guess,” Luke says. He busies himself searching the pantry for chocolate, formulating half-truths in his mind. “This happened regularly when we were alive, but the thing that caused the sickness doesn’t happen anymore. I think Reg’s brain sort of missed the memo, so it still thinks his body has to feel shitty around this time.” 

Ray hums. “Is there anything I can do to help? I know you boys always have it handled, but I don’t know. It seems bad, and I feel like I should be doing more.” 

“I mean, it’s kinda hard,” Luke says, emerging from the pantry with an armful of chocolatey treats and dumping them on the counter. “All the medicine he used to take doesn’t work on him anymore, so there’s not really anything we can do except make him feel as comfortable as possible.”

“Oh,” Ray says. “Is—does having me around make Reggie _un_ comfortable?” 

“No no no,” Luke rushes to reassure him. “Reggie loves you. Like, honestly, he actively chooses to spend time with you and talk to you. He’s never been like that with any adult before.” Ray seems to relax a bit, and Luke continues, “It’s just that this is a really vulnerable thing, and it’s really hard to talk about.”

“I understand,” Ray nods. “I just worry. You boys are as much my sons as Carlos, and I want to help. But I won’t make Reggie tell me anything he doesn’t want to.” 

The microwave goes off, and Luke, distracted by the beeping, goes to open it and grab the pad.

“Luke,” Ray says, calling his attention back. “You know you boys can talk to me about anything, any time.” 

“We know.”

Ray fills with pride at the confidence with which Luke says it. 

Luke scoops up the chocolate. “Thanks, Ray.” 

And then he’s gone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Luke waits until a few days later to broach the subject. Reggie’s feeling better, and Julie is sleeping over with Flynn, so it’s just the boys in the studio for the night. 

They’re playing darts, and Alex is crushing them, like always. Luke and Reggie groan as he hits his second bullseye in a row. 

“Damn you and your drummer’s hand-eye-coordination,” Reggie grumbles. 

Alex lines up his third shot, and Luke waits until he’s about to let go to say, “I think I want to tell Ray I’m trans.” 

Alex stumbles and completely misses his shot, the dart lodging itself in the floor beneath the board. “You did that on purpose,” he says. 

Luke smirks. “Maybe.” 

“Are you serious, though?” Reggie asks. “You really want to tell him?” 

“Yeah,” Luke shrugs, trying to play it off like a causal decision, rather than one of the scariest things he’s done since dying. “I mean, he’s friends with Bobby, and no way Bobby would be friends with a transphobe, right?” He plucks the darts out of the board (and floor) and starts lining up his shot. “Plus, the other day, when I went in to heat up the pad for Reg? He seemed really worried. I’m honestly not sure if he pieced it together or not, but he sounded really genuine when he said he wanted to help.” Luke takes his shot, hitting the outermost ring, and turns to look the others in the eye. “I trust him.” 

Reggie studies his face for a minute, then nods. “I trust him, too. I’ll tell him with you.” 

“Yeah?” Luke asks, his face lighting up. 

“I want to talk to Julie first, though,” Reggie says. “If anyone know how he’ll react it’s her.” 

“That’s a good idea.” Luke turns to Alex, who’s fidgeting with the hem of his sweatshirt. “Alex? You in?” 

“No pressure,” Reggie chimes in. “We won’t tell him about you if you don’t want us to.” 

“Um, I don’t—I don’t think I want to tell him yet,” Alex says. He starts to pace, and Luke rolls his eyes, but Reggie elbows him with a look that reads _Leave him be._

“I just—“ Alex continues, “I don’t know if I could handle another dad rejecting me, you know? And I don’t really know him as well as you guys do, like we haven’t spent a lot of time together. If you guys want to tell him though, I think you should.”

“Oh, so you’re using us as a test,” Reggie chuckles. 

Alex’s eyes widen. “No, no that’s not what I—“

“Alex,” Reggie lunges forward, realizing his mistake. “I was joking. I’m sorry.” 

Luke catches Alex by his shoulders and looks into his eyes. “It’s okay, man. Really. You tell him whenever you’re ready, and if you’re never ready, that’s okay too.” 

Alex nods, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. “Okay. I _am_ really happy for you guys.”

“Thanks buddy,” Reggie says, throwing an arm around Alex’s shoulder. “Any chance you’re happy enough to let us win?” 

“Not a chance,” Alex snorts. He signals for Luke to hand Reggie the darts. “You’re up, Reginald. Try not to embarrass yourself.” 

“I just might surprise you there, Alexander,” Reggie winks, and promptly misses the board completely. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_I can’t stay this way but I pray that nothing changes  
Like I’m stuck between the gears of a broken machine  
I’m on fire and I’m frozen stiff  
Down to the wire, wondering if  
Today’s the day I’m coming clean._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: the boys talk to Julie, and then they talk to Ray.


	2. Today’s the Day I’m Coming Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie preps the boys for their coming out, and a conversation with Ray is had.

_The world never goes back to the way that it was  
That’s just not something that the world does  
But I’m holdin’ on when the spin gets strong  
I’ve got my knuckles tight and bloodless   
I’m holding on._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Julie gets home from Flynn’s, she finds three anxious ghosts staring at the garage door and awaiting her arrival. 

“What’s wrong?” She asks, clocking Alex’s pacing and Luke’s fidgety hands. Reggie, as usual, plays it off better than the other two, but she notices that his hands are on the sleeves of the flannel around his waist. 

“We have a question for you,” Luke says. “It’s kind of important.” 

“Okay?” Julie takes a seat and waits for one of them to explain. 

“We, um— Do you know—“ Luke cuts himself off, frustrated, and starts again. “How do you think Ray would react if we came out to him?” 

Julie relaxes. This is much easier than the conversations she was imagining, ranging from being kicked out of the band to the boys crossing over. “Coming out in terms of gender or sexuality?” she asks. She sees Alex tense out of the corner of her eye, so she quickly adds, “I can tell you he’ll be great with either one. I just know you’ll need convincing so if I know what you’re trying to tell him I can give you proof.”

“We really only talked about the gender part,” Reggie admits. “The whole bi thing is still kind of new to me. I don’t know if I’m ready to tell him yet.” 

Luke shrugs. “I’d be down to tell him I’m pan.” 

Julie turns to Alex, who shakes his head without her even having to ask. “I don’t want to tell him anything yet,” Alex says. “I just wanted to hear what you think.” 

Julie nods. “That’s fair. So, I can personally tell you that he’ll react wonderfully to you coming out as bi or pan or gay. I told him I was bi when I was fourteen and he was never anything but accepting and loving.”

This seems to relax Alex a little. He stops pacing and perches on the back of the couch instead. 

“Obviously I don’t know what it’s like to come out to him as trans,” Julie continues, “but I can’t imagine him reacting badly. Trevor’s done a ton of charity work for trans rights, and Dad’s always helped with that. Plus, a few years ago, this girl at my school came out, and Dad personally offered to take new portraits and family photos for her so she could have pictures of her real self.” She pauses, remembering acting as his “assistant” on that shoot. “It was actually one of his best photo series.” 

Luke and Reggie share a look, an unspoken conversation happening between them. Julie leans forward to grab their hands. 

“He loves you guys,” she says, “and he’ll be so happy you told him. He really means it when he says we can talk to him about anything.”

“But you were scared to tell him about us,” Reggie says. 

“Well, I think ‘there are three ghosts in the garage’ is just a little less believable than ‘there are three queer guys in the garage.’” This earns a laugh from the boys. “Besides, I did tell him about you eventually, and that turned out pretty well, don’t you think?” 

“Yeah,” Luke nods, sending another telepathic message to Reggie. “It really did.” He turns to Julie. “Thanks Jules. This helps a lot.” 

She gives both their hands a little squeeze. “Do you want me there when you tell him?” 

“It’s okay,” Reggie says. “We’ll have each other.” 

“Well, good luck,” Julie says. “I’m proud of you guys.”

Reggie turns to Alex. “Alex? Last chance to join us, buddy.” 

“Not yet.” He grabs their shoulders. “I’ll be here if you want to talk afterwards, though.” 

“Ooh!” Julie perks up. “Can I paint your nails while we wait? I have this new pink that matches your hoodie perfectly.” 

Alex rolls his eyes with a fond smile. “If you must,” he sighs. 

Julie beams and jumps up to grab her polish from the house. The boys watch her go, then turn to each other. 

“You guys got this,” Alex says. 

Luke holds his hand out for Reggie to take. “I guess it’s time.” Reggie grabs his hand, and they poof out together. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ray’s been staring at this photo for hours. He’s tried editing it in a million different ways, but no matter what he tries he can’t get it right. He lets out a frustrated groan and drops his head into his hands, but a soft knock on the open door of his office jolts his head back up. 

“Sorry,” Reggie says. “Are we interrupting?”

“No, come on in,” Ray waves them into the room. “I could use a break.” He watches Luke and Reggie sit on his couch. They perch on the edge, backs straight, which Ray finds odd for these boys who tend to just throw themselves everywhere. “Where’s Alex?”

Luke and Reggie glance at each other before Luke says, “He’s in the studio with Julie. Reggie and I wanted to talk to you about something.” 

“Sure,” Ray says, shutting his laptop to let them know they have his full attention. “What’s up?” 

“Um,” Luke and Reggie start at the same time, and then they both let out an awkward laugh. 

“Maybe we should have rehearsed this,” Reggie jokes, but the smile doesn’t stay on his face for more than a moment. The two boys eye each other, and Ray is astonished by the nonverbal communication they’ve established. Finally, Luke nods and turns to Ray.

“Reggie and I are transgender,” he says, all in one breath. 

“Oh,” Ray lets out a sigh of relief. “I thought you were in trouble or something.” He moves around to lean on the front of his desk, so he can be closer to them. “Thank you for telling me. Are there different names or pronouns you want me to use for you?” 

Reggie shakes his head. “We’re trans guys.” 

Suddenly, it all clicks together in Ray’s head. Reggie’s mysterious illnesses that happen roughly once a month. The way Reggie tenses whenever Ray touches a place he might feel a binder. Luke’s touchiness about the song named after him. Trevor’s “childhood friend” that inspired all his trans activism. 

“We came out in the 90s,” Luke explains, snapping Ray back into the present. 

“That’s really brave,” Ray says. “Were your parents supportive? If you don’t mind me asking, I mean.”

“Mine were,” Luke says, at the same time Reggie says, “Mine weren’t.” Neither of them elaborate. 

“Well, mijos,” Ray says, kneeling in front of the couch so he’s eye level with them. “I love you, so much, and I love everything that makes you you. I’m really proud of you and honored you trusted me enough to tell me.” 

Reggie beams. “Thanks, Dad—Ray! I mean Ray!” 

Ray’s heart soars. “Reggie,” he chuckles. “It’s okay. You can call me Dad.” He turns to Luke. “That goes for you and Alex too, if you want.” 

Luke shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t— I love my dad, and I feel like I still sort of have him. It feels wrong to call someone else that.” 

“That’s okay,” Ray says.

“But thank you,” Luke says, more bashful than Ray’s ever seen him. “It means a lot that you’re so cool with it.”

“Can I hug you boys?” Ray asks, and when they nod he pulls them into a tight embrace. “I love you guys. Don’t you ever forget that.” 

“We won’t,” Reggie grins. 

“Um, there’s one more thing,” Luke says, pulling back from the hug. “I’m pansexual.” 

“And I’m bi,” Reggie chimes in. 

Luke turns to him with wide eyes. “I thought you didn’t want to tell him yet.” 

“Well yeah, because I was dumb and forgot that he’s the best dad ever,” Reggie jokingly rolls his eyes, and Luke slings his arm over Reggie’s shoulder, ruffling his hair. It takes them a moment to realize that Ray is frozen, staring at Reggie with tears pooling in his eyes. 

“Are you okay?” Reggie asks. “Did I say something wrong?” 

“You said I’m the best Dad ever,” Ray sniffs. 

“Oh,” Reggie picks at the sleeves of his flannel. “Was that too much?”

“No,” Ray says, pulling Reggie in for another hug. “No, mijo, it was just enough.” He pulls Luke in too. “I’m so glad Julie found you guys.” 

“Us too,” Luke says, and Reggie nods. 

“Come on,” Ray says. “Let’s grab the others and get some ice cream. I think a little celebration is in order.” 

“Hell yeah,” Reggie cries, sprinting out of the room to find Julie and Alex. 

“Reg, you can just poof out,” Luke calls after him, shaking his head when he realizes Reggie is already too far away to hear.

Ray chuckles. “I’ve never seen anyone as excited about anything as that kid when junk food is involved.” 

Luke shrugs, still looking after Reggie with a slightly wistful look on his face. “His parents never really took him out for treats like that.” He turns to look at Ray. “Thank you, really. For everything.” 

“Of course, mijo,” Ray says, wrapping an arm around Luke’s shoulders and pressing a kiss to his head. “That’s what family is for. Now come on, let’s go find Carlos.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Ray Molina is a perceptive man. And as he sits at the picnic table outside the ice cream parlor looking around at his kids, he notices a change. 

He watches Luke and Reggie argue about the best ice cream flavor, the other three occasionally chiming in with their opinions. Luke makes a slight against birthday cake, and Reggie retaliates by smearing a spoonful of the flavor across Luke’s face. Luke strikes back with his own ice cream, and suddenly there’s a full-on food fight, sprinkles flying back and forth across the table. Reggie and Luke have megawatt smiles on their faces. Ray thinks they look freer. Lighter. 

Happier. 

A glob of ice cream comes dangerously close to Alex’s pink hoodie and he flinches away. “Hey!” he yelps. Reggie and Luke immediately reign themselves in. 

“Sorry bro,” Luke says. He goes to put an ice-cream covered hand on Alex’s shoulder, but thinks better of it. 

Alex is still a mystery to Ray. He can tell there’s still something weighing on him, and it might take longer to crack him. But like with the others, Ray won’t push. He hopes he’s proven himself to be trustworthy. He certainly trusts these boys, so whenever Alex decides he’s ready, Ray will be here waiting. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_’Cause I’ve got dreams  
That might not come to any kind of fruition  
I’ve got cracks in my facade I might fall between  
I’ve got pictures in the dresser drawer  
I whisper through the bedroom door  
Today’s the day I’m coming clean._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven’t read the rest of the series, Alex’s coming out is in Punks Don’t Dance. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated if you enjoyed :)

**Author's Note:**

> I’m wr0temyway0ut on tumblr if you want to come talk to me about trans phantoms or just phantoms in general. My ask box is also open for prompts/requests and just general chatting.


End file.
